We need a politics where debate and cooperation takes the place of confrontation and fake theatre. What we have at present has been quite rightly identified as Punch and Judy politics.

Politics without debate

First-Past-the-Post elections - almost by design - throw up huge majorities based on a minority of the vote.  And that lack of serious opposition and serious debate had a serious impact on the ability of Parliament to deliver for the British public.

Armed with all this 'Lobby Fodder' governments – both Labour and Conservative - have reduced the House of Commons into a rubber stamp, their whips able to railroad through legislation without appropriate scrutiny. 

If Politics is the art of compromise, then it has stopped functioning in the House of Commons. Under the rules of First-Past-the-Post ‘cooperation’ in governance has become an increasingly dirty word, reserved for Hung parliaments, a time so goes the well worn Media clichés for ‘dirty deals’ and ‘smoke filled rooms.’

This culture has had a strong impact on the voting public – evidenced in ever declining turnout at elections and general disaffection with politics and politicians.

Fostering Cooperation

Already in Britain’s devolved assemblies, voters have returned coalition government’s willing to put old animosities aside. Fairer voting votings like AV and STV underpin this kind of cooperation. Preferential systems force parties to recognise their opponents as potential allies and partners, while putting Westminster’s political theatre firmly to one side.